From the Ground Up: Feral hogs run rampant

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Feral hogs are running rampant across the United States. John Tomecek, an associate professor with Texas A&M Agrilife Research says they can destroy environments, cause injury and spread disease.

“Some people call it the pig bomb went off and and I think that term is really, really interesting. So we’ve had pigs forever,” said Tomecek.

Pigs were originally brought over by European colonists, and from there the population exploded.

But how does a pig turn into a feral hog? A feral hog is any pig that has been released from human control. Whether it ran away from a farm, someone released their pet, or it was born in the wild. Those pigs are now classified as feral hogs.

Their ability to adapt and reproduce quickly has made them a menace to ranches and suburban lawns alike.

“We’ve learned more about the effects of feral hogs,” Tomecek said. “They affect the ability of cities to provide clean water, they cause safety issues in towns where people have been attacked or chased by pigs. They spread diseases.”

But it’s not a problem with a simple solution.

“We can’t barbeque our way out of this problem, and that is the reality. Hunting alone cannot fix the feral hog problem”

Tomecek said change is hard to see when people think the problem isn’t widespread. While it can seem like a purely rural problem, feral hogs striking in the city finally got the attention of elected officials.

“As soon as a favorite golf course in Austin got rooted up during the legislative session it definitely curtailed relations and negotiations between both sides of the House that changed things right. Folks said, ‘well, what can we do about this?’”

It will take farmers and city dwellers, elected officials and researchers to come together to solve the overpopulation. Tomecek said standing idly by is not a viable option.

“The cost of doing nothing is very high,” said Tomecek.

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